Inter are keen to offload Christian Eriksen this January, and reports claim that Arsenal are willing to offer Granit Xhaka in a straight-swap deal.
The Dane was descending long before his Inter move. Having missed out on that long-lusted move to Real Madrid, Eriksen seemingly settled for Inter midway through the 2019-20 season.
22 Serie A appearances later and just the one goal, Eriksen is already staring at the San Siro exit.
Conte couldn’t be more eager to offload the high-earning Eriksen and January is the perfect time for that. The former Chelsea boss is a known shopper in England, and most of his acquisitions have paid dividends.
The likes of Ashley Young and Romelu Lukaku have shone for Inter since their respected transfers from Manchester United, and Xhaka could be the latest name to swap the English top-flight for the Italian.
Arsenal have been offered the chance to swap midfielder Granit Xhaka for former Tottenham and current Inter Milan midfielder Christian Ericksen
(via @CorSport) pic.twitter.com/nZ6bq2qD7s
— Beyond The Bleachers (@BeyondBleachers) November 17, 2020
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is reportedly open to the move. Xhaka’s involvements have been cut short of late with the incoming Thomas Partey performing, and Mohamed Elneny coming back into contention.
The Swiss midfielder has been limited to just six Premier League appearances this season and having fallen out last season – his infamous “shun” to the crowd that has cast doubt over his position in the side since – his exit looks to be looming.
But he’s a good player. Arsenal fans have long believed that for the most part, owing to dips in and out of form keeping him from being a really top player for the club.
With Arteta’s appointment as well, there doesn’t seem to be a place for a hard-hitting player like Xhaka in the middle of the pitch – Inter though might just have that vacancy opening soon.
They’ve some experienced ball players in midfield; the likes of Marcelo Brozovic, Radja Nainggolan and Arturo Vidal, but the latter two are coming into their final seasons and someone like Xhaka could make for the next long-term, Inter midfield enforcer.
A likely good signing from Conte then, but it all boils down to whether Arsenal would actually go through with the straight-swap deal.
It almost seems to good to be true from an Inter perspective – a brand new midfield player with a lot left to give, for one that looks well past his sell-by-date.
Xhaka wouldn’t be cheap but it’s likely that he’s a more cost-effective option than Eriksen – the Dane reportedly takes home £100,000 every week at Inter.
His Tottenham roots shouldn’t play too much of a part in whether the deal goes through or not. He was a good player for them and in the end, Spurs happily took the money for their once star player.
A return to England would still be controversial though and Arsenal more so than any other team. It’s an unlikely chance for the Dane to resurrect a seemingly dwindling career at Inter, but an exciting, fast-paced team like Arsenal could well be the rebirth of Eriksen.